1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pontoon boat trailer for transporting a pontoon boat. More specifically, the present invention is a boat trailer that can be adjusted in several ways to accommodate pontoon boats of differing sizes. The trailer is provided with wheels that can be adjusted longitudinally on the trailer's frame and with rails for receiving the pontoons that are adjustable in width to match the spacing of the boat's pontoons. The trailer frame is pneumatically raised and lowered relative to the ground and each rail is provided with retractable rollers that can be raised and retracted relative to its associated rail to assist in loading and unloading a pontoon boat from the trailer. When the trailer is not in use in transporting a pontoon boat, the rails and associated rollers can be removed from the trailer and by adding a plywood floor to the remaining trailer frame, the trailer can be used as a flatbed trailer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently available trailers for transporting pontoon boats have several disadvantages. First, they are elevated on wheels that allow the boat to be transported by the trailer. Because the boat's pontoons are approximately two feet off the ground when the boat is resting on the rails of current pontoon boat trailers and it is difficult to load and unload the boat from the trailer onto the ground or into the water from the boat's elevated position on the trailer. Thus it would be desirable to have a pontoon boat trailer that could be easily raised and lowered relative to the ground.
The present invention addresses this problem by providing a trailer frame that can be raised and lowered relative to the supporting wheels to effectively lower the trailer frame to within approximately 5 inches of the ground from a raised transport position where the trailer frame is located approximately 24 inches above the ground.
Second, in loading and unloading a pontoon boat from currently available pontoon boat trailers, the pontoons of the boat normally must be slid onto rails that are provided longitudinally on the trailer. There are normally two sets of these rails, with one set located on either side of the trailer. The two sets of rails are designed to receive and cradle the boat's pontoons as the boat is being transported on the trailer. Although these rails are normally covered with a cushioning material, such as a carpet scrap, the pontoons can sometimes be damaged as they slide along the rails when the boat is loaded and unloaded onto the trailer.
Thus it would be desirable to have a means of loading the pontoons onto the rails and unloading the pontoons from the rails that did not require sliding the pontoons along the surface of the rails. The present invention addresses this need by providing pneumatically controlled, retractable rollers in association with each set of rails. When the rollers are extended above the rails, they serve as a point of contact for the pontoons as the boat is loaded and unloaded from the trailer.
In order to load a boat onto the present trailer, the rollers are first extended and the pontoons of the boat are then rolled onto the rollers until the boat is properly positioned longitudinally on the trailer. Then the rollers are retracted below the rails, thereby lowering the pontoons onto the rails of the trailer. The trailer transports the boat with the pontoons of the boat resting on the rails. In order to unload the boat from the trailer, the rollers are once again extended above the rails, thereby lifting the pontoons of the boat off of the rails and onto the rollers. Once the pontoons are supported on the rollers, the pontoon boat can be removed from the trailer by rolling the pontoons rearward on the rollers until the boat moves off of the back end of the trailer.
Third, currently available pontoon boat trailers are not adjustable in that the wheels are in a fixed position relative to the tongue of the trailer and the wheels can not be moved longitudinally on the trailer in order to balance or control the load on the tongue of the trailer and thus the load that the towing vehicle experiences. It would be desirable to have a trailer with wheels that could be adjusted longitudinally on the trailer so that the operator could adjust the load on the tongue of the trailer by moving the wheels longitudinally relative to the trailer in response to the load that the trailer is carrying. The present invention has wheels that are adjustable longitudinally on the trailer.
Fourth, currently available pontoon trailers are provided with rails that are fixed to the trailer and can not be adjusted in width to match the spacing of the pontoons on different pontoon boats. This prevents an owner of a trailer from being able to transport a variety of different types of pontoon boats with a single trailer. It would be desirable to have rails that are adjustable in width so that rails of a single trailer could be quickly and easily adjusted to allow the trailer to be used with pontoon boats of varying pontoon spacing. The present invention incorporates this feature.
Finally, currently available pontoon trailers are dedicated-function trailers because their rails are not removable. It would be desirable to have a pontoon boat trailer that could be used for other functions when not needed for transporting a pontoon boat. The present invention addresses this problem by having rails and associated rollers that can be removed from the trailer. The user can floor the remaining frame of the trailer, such as with plywood flooring material, so that the trailer can be used as a flatbed trailer.